Clint Bowyer now has a home for the coming season.
Just days after announcing that he will replace the retiring Tony Stewart at Stewart Haas Racing in 2017, Bowyer confirmed that he will drive for HScott Racing next season, as part of a one-year deal. Bowyer’s sponsor, 5-Hour Energy, will back him in a total of 24 races with the team.
Bowyer said HScott Motorsports was “the easiest door that opened” after his current team, Michael Waltrip Racing, announced that it will close its door at season’s end.
“I am very thankful for the continued support and commitment from 5-hour ENERGY, and for Harry Scott Jr. for putting this opportunity together,” said Bowyer. “My relationship with everyone at 5-hour ENERGY is something I hold with great value. There have been some real unknowns for my career in the past couple of months, but I’m happy that my future is secured and full speed ahead.”
Despite joining HScott for just one season, he said he hopes to leave the team better than he found it.
Team owner Harry Scott, Jr., concurred, saying, “Clint will help us long term. He’s going to be able to help us reset our program and set the bar higher. He’ll help us form an even stronger relationship with Stewart-Haas and that, obviously, will be beneficial for us.”
Scott currently fields cars for drivers Justin Allgaier and Michael Annett on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but multiple sources say Allgaier will forfeit his spot to Bowyer. Scott declined to comment on the size of his 2016 operation, but Allgaier’s wife, Ashley, said via Twitter today that “we’ve heard the rumors for the past few months. Though it’s hard to hear the official news today, we know that God has a plan. It’s not easy not knowing what the future looks like, but we are resting in Gods word.”
HScott Motorsports receives chassis, Chevrolet engines and technical support from Hendrick Motorsports, which also supplies Stewart-Haas Racing.
